For many homeowners, the garage is more than just a place to store their motor vehicles. The enclosed space can be a free-for-all area for storage, work, play as well as several other reasons. However, finding the right balance can be a tricky tightrope to walk.
Not all garages are the same, but that does not mean you cannot utilize what you have to meet your needs. There are several do-it-yourself ways to organize your garage to make sure it works for you. Check out these ways to tailor your garage and transform it into a functional and applicable space you will want to revisit time and time.
1. Working With Walls
Whether your garage is spacious or limited in its capacity, the one thing that all garages have in common is the presence of three sturdy walls. Mounting hooks, brackets, and other hardware can be an instant way to maximize the space you have in a clean, easy, and organized way.
One tactic is to add a layer of three-quarter-inch plywood over the drywall or bare studs. This provides a continuous fastening surface that allows for hardware to be easily stored and then removed
2. Storage Design With A Purpose
By utilizing your wall space, you are solving two different challenges at one time. First, you can utilize the narrow space that exists between the side of the garage and a parked car. You can also create a purposeful and solid mounting surface that can be used to hold shelves and hooks.
These spaces have the capability to carry hundreds of pounds of stuff. You can also arrange the shelves and hooks in any number of ways, thanks to different kinds of wood strips and inexpensive shelving standard options.
3. A Place For Tools
Walls work wonders for tool storage as well. If your garage has lots of landscape tools like rakes, shovels, brooms, and other garden tools that are cluttering up your space, consider cutting two 16 by 16-inch pieces of plywood and screwing them to one of your wall studs at a slightly upward angle.
You can repeat this process as much as you need. You will also be able to slide in your tools and make use of a versatile and less expensive system that can be finished in one weekend. The DIY garage storage system is quick and easy.
4. Finish With Fishing Line Organization
One of the tricks with fishing rods is to keep them in such a way that they would not tangle. One easy option is to use a three-inch diameter PVC pipe and a foam swimming pool noodle for a DIY organizer.
To finish this project, drill one-inch holes spaced between every four inches in the PVC pipe. You can then line up the pool noodle on the wall so that at least two of the slits can sit over the studs. Next, pull the slits apart, slide in a fender washer and screw the noodle into the wall with two-inch screws. The final step calls for screwing the PVC pipe to the wall at a height that is comfortable for you.
5. Can’t Go Wrong With Cabinets
If storage continues to be an issue with your garage, consider organizing your stuff with a cabinet. Garages can be outfitted with a car care cabinet where homeowners can organize auto lubricants, fluids, and other necessities with a simple shelf table cabinet.
This cabinet can be mounted with a fold-up door on special hinges. It also allows for a faster method to reach for those materials while you are on the go. Another option is to build a tall storage system cabinet that allows for overhead options. Plan how to configure your space with masking tape on the walls to ensure you are maximizing what you have.
6. Consider The Corners
Where the walls meet in the garage can be an optimal place for some of your tools. If you have already used up all of your shelf space and still need a place to put things, create a nifty corner shelf unit that can be easily constructed with unused materials.
Use scrap plywood or oriented strand board to make the shelves that would fit between corner studs. You can support them with one-by-one cleats. Corner shelves are perfect for storing glues, oils, waxes, and polishes where they can be easily reached at a moment’s notice.
7. Forming Tubes
Another way to store gardening tools and long-handled items s by utilizing cardboard concrete-forming tubes in a new and renovated way. These tubes can also be a great place to store baseball bats in an out-of-the-way area of the garage.
Rest the tubes on a piece of two by four wood in a section of the garage. Then finish the project by securing each tube to a garage stud with a plumbing strap. You will be able to easily retrieved from the tubes.
8. Easy-to-Make Ball Bin
Kids can always be in a hurry, so the best-laid plans are where they can throw items in and go about their playtime. Garages are often the place to keep balls and other outdoor equipment, and parents of young athletes may want to consider constructing a ball bin to keep all the rounded objects in one place in the garage.
The ball storage rack can be mounted anywhere in the garage, and it keeps the balls from rolling around on the floor. Using plywood, dowels, and an elastic cord provides an easy-to-make storage hack that can be customized to fit your space as you need.
9. Other Sports Gear Corral Options
Another way to create a ball corral is to take a three-quarter-inch piece of plywood and two two-by-twos and secure the beams with Bungee cords. Once you cut off the hooks, you can thread the cord through pre-drilled holes and then secure the cord with knots.
The corral should be constructed so that kids can quickly grab the balls at the bottom for their playtime without unloading the others on top. You can also add plumbing hooks and short guitar troughs for easy access.
10. Easy Ways To Stack Bins
Another staple in most garages is the presence of plastic storage bins. These bins provide a place for seasonal items like holiday decorations or other items that need to be tucked away for safekeeping.
In most garages, storage bins are stacked against a wall until the need to rummage or retrieve arises. One way to simplify this process is to make an attractive tower. You can choose different colors for the bins for each item category to find what you are looking for right away.
11. Take It To The Ceiling
Smaller garage spaces can be maximized with a few innovative solutions, including the use of overhead space. The ceiling can be equipped with plastic storage bins that are fastened by screwing two by twos with three and a half-inch screws spaced every two feet.
This framing can be completed when the lips of the bins easily brush against the two by twos when they are slid into place. Finish the job by the center and screwing another one by four to the beams with two-inch screws. This option is best suited for light or medium weight objects, like seasonal decorations or camping gear.
12. Recycling Racks
Recycling bins that are kept in the garage need to be in a place that is easily accessible and retrievable for quick disposal. One great way to store these items and maximize your floor space is to set them up with cleats along one of your walls.
Using the top of the bins to measure the location where the cleats should be fastened onto the wall. Screw the cleats to the wall with three-inch screws. Repeat as many times as necessary, and get ready to keep your conservation efforts neat and tidy.
13. Sliding Shelves
Another way to optimize your garage space is to put in rollout shelves and to slide bypass units. Experts believe that this type of bypass unit can add 50 percent more storage. It can also be used for long-handled tools of all kinds.
The best part about these hidden shelves is that simply slide to either side when it is time to access the tool that you need. The sliding shelves are available at most hardware retailers and can be set up in one weekend.
14. Lawn Chair Storage
When it is time to soak up the sun and enjoy the great outdoors, the handy lawn chair can provide the perfect seat. However, the chairs can also take up a lot of space when they are not in use. Rather than letting them take up valuable real estate in your garage, consider creating a space for them on the wall.
This simple project calls for two pieces of one by four lumber or any other scrap piece that you may have lying around. Cut each board seven three-quarters inch long with a 30-degree angle on both ends. You then must fasten pairs of the brackets with three two-inch screws to the wall studs. You will then be able to easily hang your chairs so that they are out of the way.
15. Create Your Own Cabinet
It does not take an expert cabinetmaker to create a big sturdy cabinet, especially if they are built in place. Screw a few two by twos to the wall and the ceiling and then take some plywood panels to form the top, bottom, and sides of the cabinet boxes.
The best part about this simple cabinet system is that it can be customized in several different ways to best suit your needs. It could also become an excellent place for setting up a garage television set and entertainment center.